How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Washington

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put a big crunch on your finances. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to lower your monthly bill.

Because you have many online and local companies to choose from, it's difficult to choose the cheapest insurance company.

It's important to compare prices yearly because prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal last year there may be better deals available now. So just ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're going to get a crash course in the only way to find lower rates on auto insurance.

Choosing the best insurance company for you in Washington is easy if you know what you're doing. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these techniques. But Indiana consumers do need to know the way insurance companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies don't always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings.

Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance from them.
Accident Waiver - Some insurance companies allow you one accident without raising rates as long as you don't have any claims for a certain period of time.
Sign Online - Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up online.
Drive Less and Save - Fewer annual miles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Payment Method - If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
Bundle and Save - When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
Early Switch Discount - Some companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current policy expires. It's a savings of about 10%.

Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don't profit that way.

For a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Indiana, follow this link.

Where Can I Get Cheap Washington Auto Insurance?

There are multiple methods to compare auto insurance quotes, but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You can waste hours driving to insurance agencies in Washington, or you could use the web for quick rates.

Most car insurance companies enroll in a system that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and at least one company then returns a price quote based on that data. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to getting quotes like this is you are unable to specify the companies you want to price. If you wish to select individual companies to compare rates, we have a page of companies who write auto insurance in Indiana. Click to view list.

Whichever way you use, make sure you use apples-to-apples quote information for each comparison quote. If you have mixed coverages then you won't be able to determine the lowest rate in Washington. Just a small difference in insurance coverages may cause a big price difference. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
What are the financial responsibility laws in Indiana?
Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Indiana?
Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Do the work, save more money

As you prepare to switch companies, don't be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best price.

Discount auto insurance can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Washington agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who may not provide online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.